1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to hospital sheets; and, more particularly, to a reusable sheet attachable to a hospital bed for keeping the patient in a fixed position on the bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a need for holding a patient in a fixed position on a hospital bed. The patient should be held to the bed in a manner which prevents sliding of the patient up and down or side to side on the bed even if the bed is tilted, or falling out of bed. Also, it is necessary to easily and quickly reposition the patient on the bed to prevent decubiti. Such a device is necessary to both hold the patient yet permitting the exiting of tubes from the lower abdomen and to allow access to surgical incision sites.
Various prior art restraints are known but are deemed not practical. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,864, there is disclosed an infant safety garment but no access to the lower abdomen is provided. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,114 to Cataldo, a safety belt for infants is disclosed. There is no suggestion to use the same as a bed sheet.
There thus exists a need for a hospital sheet for patients, particularly debilitated, weak, elderly or disoriented patients, which retains the patient in a fixed position on the bed regardless of the orientation of the bed yet permits easy and quick repositioning of the patient to prevent decubiti and allows access to the lower abdomen. Such a sheet should be reusable and be able to withstand harsh treatment encountered in conventional hospital laundry facilities.